A Fine Thread
by iluvaqt
Summary: Possible S3.20 spoilers. That Olicity Jet scene speculation. Angst warning. Oneshot.


Olicity Jet one-shot

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters and their stories belong to their respective owners. Please don't repost. This story is not for profit and is purely for fan entertainment purposes only.

* * *

Loving her comes as easy as breathing.

Her smile is as vibrant as sunlight playing off icy prisms in a cirrus cloud.

Her laughter is a healing balm for a dark and tortured soul.

There are so many facets to her beauty. Her wit and intelligence, her classic grace and elegance. Her quiet enduring strength and her loyalty.

Rainbows are beautiful, the Maker's promise. Without resistance I am chasing the end of the rainbow. I don't comprehend that it can never be caught.

A treasured dream.

She will never be mine.

Because rainbows fade.

::: ::: :::

Diggle was trying to keep the jet as steady as possible. But Oliver winced with every bump as the jostling caused Felicity to cry out. He would do anything to take the pain away. Literally anything. If there was a way he could trade places with her right now, he would do it in a heartbeat.

"I'm here. Felicity, I'm here for you. Just hang on, okay? Fight," his voice wavered. He paused, gathering his walls. The mental block he'd built in his mind to throw all his fears, doubts, desires, dreams and guilt behind. He couldn't break. She needed him to stay strong, he couldn't falter now. If he broke, everything would come crashing down. He pushed his fears aside and focused on her tear stained face. She was trying to be strong, she was biting back the pain and he could see how much energy she was expending doing it.

"Breathe, Felicity. Don't hold it in. You need to breathe, push away the pain. Take my hand. I've got you," he said squeezing her hand tightly. Her hand was trembling and cold. He took off his gloves and enveloped his hands around hers. Willing his warmth to spread to her. To keep her anchored, to keep her energy up, to keep her with him.

Roy had bandaged her as tightly as he could so that it would leave Oliver's hands free, and Thea was desperately ransacking through all their meagre supplies to look for water.

Oliver bowed his head over their joined hands, his eyes not missing the bloodied green gloves on the floor at his feet. It was his worst nightmare come to life. Felicity hurt because of her connection to him. Arrow, Oliver Queen, the Hood, it didn't matter which he was, in the end it had all lead to this.

He felt a shaky hand run down the side of his face. "Stop it," he heard her soft chastising whisper. "My...choice."

Her eyes fixed on his as he lifted his head. Her fingers were slightly sticky from where she'd pressed her hand against her wound before help had arrived. He leaned into her touch and kept one hand over it, cupping her hand in place. Her touch was icy and before he could stop it, he felt hot tears run down his cheek and trickle over their intertwined fingers. Through her black, red frames he could see her clear blue eyes studying him with gentle concern and dare he even accept it, love. He'd done nothing to encourage those feelings. After she'd effectively told him what he could do with his feelings, shove off, basically.. he'd done what she wanted. He had distanced himself from her personally, as much as he could. Once he'd accepted his feelings for Felicity, it was impossible not to love her. To be in love with her. But he'd put those feelings behind the wall too. They had a nasty habit of escaping and attacking him when he least expected it, like at Diggle and Lyla's wedding, when honestly he had been naïve not to expecting that to happen then but he really thought he had gotten better at hiding his feelings.

"I choose you."

Right now his walls were cracking, his facade was faltering miserably because of her words, because of her stare and because he had failed her.. She was watching him, breathing deeply and evenly as he'd instructed, her blue gaze fixed on him and all he wanted to do was hold her and kiss her.

So he did what he could to not crowd her face and steal her oxygen by covering her mouth. Instead he pressed his nose into her hair and his cheek to hers. Shifting her hand to the back of his head. It was reassuring to find a little of her warmth remained at the juncture of her shoulder and neck, where her golden satiny unbound hair fanned around her. She smelled of jasmine, maple syrup and home.

She went stiff beside him and squeezed his hand suddenly, Oliver jerked back in time to see her wide frightened eyes before they rolled back to white. Her grip went slack and he was shocked into immobility for all of a second, before he flew into action.

He threw back the blanket to see if they'd missed something. Diggle was no surgeon but he had a steady hand and he had field med training that he'd brushed up on since joining the team. There had been no bleeds unaccounted for when he'd closed up the wound. It had been a miracle that no major arteries or organs had been nicked. Fleetingly, Oliver wondered if that was intentional. So she would die a slow death, or if this was merely a message? Nyssa couldn't have known how strong Felicity was, that she wasn't just a tech genius. That she was tough, that she'd been raised with a fighting spirit.

Oliver didn't realize how much he'd convinced himself that she could get through this. That she was strong enough, until he felt the tether break.

"Ollie, what's wrong?" Thea asked her tone thick with worry. She'd seen him freeze and was across the small space of the cabin in a swift move.

"No," he growled firmly. "No," he said more insistently. Pressed his fingers to her throat, searching for a pulse. He found none. Leaning close to her lips he prayed for breath but no gentle exhale touched his skin.

Roy, who had crashed the second John the started up the engines, jerked awake at Oliver's sharp denial. He awoke to meet Oliver's wild gaze.

"Use the sat phone and get Waller on the line."

Roy immediate for up and went for the cockpit. Diggle would be their fastest option, he also had the phone.

Oliver tilted her head back, pinched her nose and breathed into her mouth, feeling her chest expand with air he knew he was doing it right. He had been a master of death, he hadn't ever performed CPR beyond being trained by Maseo.

He started compressions, mindful to keep the pressure of his hands away from her wound as much as he could.

As he leaned closer to breathe for her again, he watched her face for any sign of life.

"Come back to me," he whispered desperately. He breathed into her and then resumed compressions.

He ignored the wetness on his face and cleared the lump threatening to close his throat over with a gruff cough.

"I choose you too, Felicity. I love you and I never stopped. We're not done. This fight isn't over, so you don't get to quit on me. Now fight."

On the third set of compressions, her eyes opened and rolled wildly, she coughed and spasmed gripping his arm tightly.

His face betrayed his relief with a unrestrained smile and he brushed back the hair from her face. He helped resettle her on jet's lounge sofa and tucked the blanket around her properly.

"Oliver?" she whispered, her voice husky and weak, revealing her disorientation.

"I'm here. Just stay with me."

Her eyelids fluttered but before she closed them completely, she reached for his face, wiping away the tears that had collected in his beard.

"Love you," she said, tiredly.

He nodded wordlessly and kissed her forehead, lingering to feel the reassuring breath leave her lips.

Holding her wrist he could feel her pulse, it was weak and slow. He prayed she would hold on long enough till they could get her proper care.

::: ::: :::

Amanda met them waiting with an ambulance on a private airstrip outside Hong Kong. It was fortunate she was in China because Felicity wouldn't make the 14hr flight back to Starling.

The flight out of a small airstrip near the Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan was perilously long enough and Oliver had done CPR twice already. Felicity needed proper medical attention desperately.

"You mentioned my debt. Your list means nothing to me. What incentive do I have to help you?"

Oliver growled, his jaw set and his eyes flashing. He knew that his offer to wipe her slate clean with him wouldn't be enough but he didn't think she was going to delay treatment and hash it out right there on the tarmac.

He wanted to kill her where she stood. Force her people to help Felicity at gun point if necessary. He felt Diggle at his shoulder and pushed his frustrations aside. John had a lot to lose here too. Lyla would never be free of Waller's influence and in truth neither was he. It was time he admitted that.

"My family, my team stays free of all this. The Arrow witch hunt goes away and you save Felicity Smoak," he said levelly. He fixed her with an unblinking glare.

Waller met his gaze without flinging, her arms folded casually over her chest. "You return to the fold, no protest and we have a deal, Mr. Queen. You make trouble or renege on your end of our deal at anytime and my original warning to you stands at an added casualty. Do we understand each other?"

"Oliver," Diggle said in caution. His tone lanced with doubt and concern.

"We have an understanding," he said with conviction.

He felt Diggle flag in disappointment but his friend didn't say a word in protest.

Waller twitched a smile. "She'll have the best medical care. I suggest you get back on that plan, Mr. Queen. You'll check in with HQ at 0900. I'll brief you with a update in Ms. Smoak's status then. Mr. Diggle," she said with a dismissing nod.

Diggle put a hand on his arm. "I go on record saying this the worst plan you've ever had but right now, it's the best chance she has. I'll stay with her. I won't leave her side until we can get our girl back home."

Ignoring the startled looks of the medial officers in the van, John got in and took a position of vigil beside Felicity's still form.

The last thing he saw was a large dark hand enveloping one too pale, before the doors closed.

He bowed his head and whispered a silent plea for mercy. A desperate wish that she pull through. That she would survive. This was her best chance. She might hate him for it in the end but he couldn't let her die. Not for his sins, not if he had the power to change her fate.

They had emergency cash. He would find a pilot and get their rest of his family home. They wouldn't have to live in hiding anymore. He'd done what he could to keep them safe.

He knew his freedom came with a price. Since the accident landed him on Lian Yu he'd known that his chances of coming home were slim to none but he'd had hope. It was one battle after another for life and liberty since.

If the cost of the safety of his loved ones meant that he would forever be a slave to Waller's control then he would gladly pay it. There were worse fates and masters. Better the devil you know and all that.


End file.
